Wound dressing changes are often a source of great discomfort for any patient. Dressing wounds appropriately and carefully goes a long way to reduce the pain of removing the bandages, but there’s more to facilitating pain relief when changing wound dressings.
Read on to learn how to remove dressings from wounds without pain, reduce risks of infection from wound dressings and increase your patient’s overall outcomes.
1. Encourage Patient Involvement in Wound Dressing Changes
Assess your patient’s pain levels before and after each wound dressing change. When caregivers acknowledge the presence of pain and allow the patient to be involved in decisions like choosing the best time of day to change dressings, they tend to have better overall outcomes. Together, the caregiver and patient can determine the best way to manage discomfort. You can also involve patients in their own wound dressing changes if their overall health and mobility allows, which can bring them a greater sense of control over their pain.
2. Choose the Correct Wound Dressing Types
The best dressing for an open wound is one that will not adhere to the wound bed, making it easier to remove without pain. Traditional wound dressing types, like gauze, will cause more pain and need to be changed more often than advanced wound dressings, like alginates and soft silicone bandages, which do not adhere to wound beds. Choosing hydrolyzed collagen-infused products can help improve cell reproduction and speed up the healing process, while also maintaining a moist environment that can lessen pain during dressing changes. These advanced wound dressing types work with various levels of exudate and are appropriate for tunneling, undermining and recalcitrant wounds.
3. Consider Analgesic Pain Relief for Wound Dressing Changes
Pre-dosing with over-the-counter analgesics, like NSAIDS, about an hour before dressing wounds can help alleviate pain during the change process. If your patient is in extreme pain, a consultation with the treating physician can determine whether a prescription for opioids or other pain management drugs is appropriate.
4. Learn How to Remove a Dressing from Wounds Without Pain
Go slowly when removing old wound dressings. Use caution when removing securements like surgical tape to prevent medical adhesive-related injury, which will only exacerbate the wound pain. You may need to soak the wound in a normal saline or wound cleanser before removing the dressing if it has adhered to the wound bed or periwound tissue. Consider using skin barriers or other wound care prep products before dressing wounds if the patient’s skin is fragile or damaged. These can help remove bandage adhesive from the skin without painful rubbing. Some antibiotic ointments also contain a topical anesthetic to make the process more comfortable, while lowering the risk of infection.
5. Use Alternative Therapies to Lessen Discomfort While Dressing Wounds
Help your patient relax, reduce anxiety and manage the discomfort of dressing changes with alternative techniques like visualization, distraction and focused breathing. These can provide sufficient pain relief for wound dressing changes and helps the patient avoid both suffering through pain and taking unnecessary medications.
Resource:
https://www.woundsource.com/blog/how-decrease-pain-associated-wound-dressing-changes
celebio says
My brother suggested I might like this blog He was totally right This post actually made my day You can not imagine simply how much time I had spent for this info Thanks
webech says
Eu confio em todas as ideias que você apresentou em sua postagem. Elas são realmente convincentes e com certeza funcionarão. No entanto, as postagens são muito curtas para iniciantes. Você pode, por favor, alongá-las um pouco na próxima vez. Obrigado pela postagem.
bizzlyn says
I am not sure where youre getting your info but good topic I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more Thanks for magnificent info I was looking for this information for my mission
largehints says
you are in reality a just right webmaster The site loading velocity is incredible It seems that you are doing any unique trick In addition The contents are masterwork you have performed a wonderful task on this topic
blogmedia says
É como se você lesse minha mente Você parece saber muito sobre isso, como se você tivesse escrito o livro nele ou algo assim. Acho que você pode fazer com algumas fotos para transmitir um pouco a mensagem, mas fora isso, este é um blog fantástico. ótima leitura, certamente voltarei
myflixer says
My brother suggested I might like this website He was totally right This post actually made my day You cannt imagine just how much time I had spent for this information Thanks
largehints says
O que eu não entendi é que, na verdade, você não é muito mais inteligente do que seria agora. Você é muito inteligente. Você sabe muito sobre esse assunto e me fez acreditar nisso de vários ângulos diferentes. É como se mulheres e homens fossem não estou interessado, exceto que é uma coisa a realizar com Woman gaga Suas próprias coisas são excelentes Sempre cuide disso
탑플레이어포커 says
지금 바로 탑플레이어 포커 머니상에서 안심하고 거래하세요!
minihints says
I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here The sketch is attractive your authored material stylish nonetheless you command get got an impatience over that you wish be delivering the following unwell unquestionably come more formerly again since exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this hike
bigduffers says
hiI like your writing so much share we be in contact more approximately your article on AOL I need a specialist in this area to resolve my problem Maybe that is you Looking ahead to see you